Detroit's most viral headlines of 2024: Choking raccoon rescued, drone chases Green Day from stage
(CBS DETROIT) — As 2024 comes to a close, we're taking a look at some of the most viral headlines of the year, which include such memorable incidents as a raccoon being rescued after choking on cheese, as well as an international flight from Detroit being diverted due to spoiled food.
Here are 10 of CBS News Detroit's top stories.
Michigan woman files lawsuit, says MGM Grand refused to pay out her $127K jackpot
A Michigan woman filed a lawsuit against MGM Grand in June, claiming that the casino in Detroit refused to pay out her $127,000 jackpot.
Denise Ezell says she was playing at the progressive blackjack table when a dealer announced that she had won the jackpot, according to the lawsuit. However, she said a pit boss told her she could not get th money because she was trespassing.
The employee said the issue was related to an incident in 2015 when she was accused of panhandling following an argument with another person at the casino. Ezell said the person she was arguing with was a cousin. She said she was asked to leave, and when she asked for how long, a security guard told her, "24 to 48 hours," according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges Ezell was not informed that she was banned from the casino and even continued to gamble there over the last nine years.
Green Day rushed off stage after drone flies over Detroit show
Green Day's concert at Detroit's Comerica Park in September was briefly paused after a drone was spotted over the venue.
Detroit police say a man flew a drone over the stadium, prompting the band to be taken off the stage for safety reasons. The band was in the early stages of its set and playing "Longview" when crew members appeared and ushered them off the stage.
After they were rushed off the stage, a message that read, "SHOW PAUSE. PLEASE, STANDBY FOR DETAILS," appeared on the screen.
Following a brief delay, the band returned to the stage and resumed their set.
Michigan couple discovers a 20-foot hole inside their home
A Michigan home went viral on social media after the homeowners documented what they discovered under their indoor jacuzzi.
Trevor and Hayley Gilmartin documented their discovery on TikTok, where the video has amassed nearly 30 million views. But many wondered what the nearly 20-foot-deep hole was.
"I want to jump in first off, I guess, to be honest," said Trevor Gilmartin as he recalled the moment he and his wife found the hole beneath their hot tub. "We did some testing to make sure the water was OK to get in."
Gilmartin said he learned about a water pumping station from a newspaper clipping that the previous owner of the home passed on to him. What he didn't know was what lay underneath the jacuzzi on the other side of his living room.
Detroit judge orders teen to be handcuffed for falling asleep during field trip
A Detroit judge was temporarily removed from his docket in August after he ordered a teen to be handcuffed for falling asleep in the courtroom.
Officials say the teen was in the courtroom as part of a field trip when Judge Kenneth King called her out for sleeping and having what he considered to be a bad attitude while she was visiting his courtroom with other teens. He ordered the teen into jail clothes and handcuffs — all while the field trip was on a livestream video. King also threatened her in front of her peers with juvenile detention before releasing her.
King was ordered to attend training "to address the underlying issues that contributed to this incident," according to a statement from 36th District Court Chief Judge William McConico. The decision came after an internal investigation into the incident.
King was back on the bench the following month but was assigned to speeding tickets and other relatively minor offenses.
Michigan man saves raccoon choking on cheese
A Michigan man is being hailed as a hero after he stepped in to save a raccoon, and the video of his rescue has gone viral.
A video posted on social media showed the Burton man helping a raccoon that appeared to be choking on a piece of cheese. The video shows the man patting the raccoon on its back a few times with no luck, but the rescuer's efforts worked when the friend behind the camera suggested patting him a bit lower.
The raccoon didn't try to bite anyone in the video and just walked away after the incident.
Viral video claims lions running loose in Detroit. Experts debunk those claims.
In December, a video that was posted on social media claimed that a "group of lions in Detroit" were on the loose. The startling footage shows a pack of lions roaming through a city, with a label saying it's from 2024 and in the Motor City.
The ominous video has been reshared and reposted several times across platforms, and many users are asking why the issue isn't getting more attention.
However, wildlife officials said there are no reports of these big cats casually strolling the streets of Detroit. The Detroit River International Wildlife International Wildlife Refuge and the Detroit Zoo said that if something like that were to happen, the public would know immediately.
Detroit comedian Jay Cotton, who caused some uproar with the video, told CBS News Detroit that it was a joke.
"It was just me being funny, y'all," he said.
Woman found at Inkster motel after reported missing seven years ago
A woman who hadn't been seen by her family in years was found at a motel in Inkster, authorities say.
The woman, who was reportedly in her twenties at the time, had been missing since 2017. Now in her thirties, it's the first time her family talked to her since she was reported missing.
MSP investigators were immediately on the hunt at this motel.
Detroit-Amsterdam Delta flight diverted to NYC after passengers were served spoiled food
In June, a Delta Air Lines flight from Detroit to Amsterdam was diverted after passengers were served spoiled food.
Delta Flight 136 was diverted to New York's JFK airport due to the issue, a Delta spokesperson confirmed.
Officials say part of the main cabin in-flight chicken meal was spoiled, and medical crews treated the affected passengers when they landed in New York.
Missing Michigan mother, baby found walking barefoot in Texas
A Michigan mother and her baby who were reported missing on July 3 were found walking on a ranch in Texas by U.S. Border Patrol agents days later.
On July 6, authorities with the Webb County Sheriff's Office responded to the border patrol checkpoint at Interstate 35 after they were notified that a woman was found with a baby walking barefoot on the ranch.
They identified the woman from her Michigan driver's license. She told authorities that she had run out of gas in her car while she was on her way to South Padre Island.
Authorities confirmed that she was the woman who was reported missing in Wyoming, Michigan, which is located near Grand Rapids.
Michigan AG rejects request to open criminal investigation into 2020 election
In April, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel declined to open a criminal investigation into Dominion Voting Systems CEO John Poulos, who testified before the Senate Oversight Committee in December 2020 amid fraud allegations in the election.
Nessel responded to the request from Republican state Reps. Neil Friske, James DeSana and Steve Carra, citing the oversight committee's report that found no evidence of widespread or systematic fraud
The 55-page report also refutes claims of election fraud in Antrim County.
